Comment on tc-2022-174

Abstract

Abstract. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory instruments about 1 km3 of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole using 5160 photomultipliers to detect Cherenkov light emitted by charged relativistic particles. A unexpected light propagation effect observed by the experiment is an anisotropic attenuation, which is aligned with the local flow direction of the ice. Birefringent light propagation has been examined as a possible explanation for this effect. The predictions of a first-principles birefringence model developed for this purpose, in particular curved light trajectories resulting from asymmetric diffusion, provide a qualitatively good match to the main features of the data. This in turn allows us to deduce ice crystal properties. Since the wavelength of the detected light is short compared to the crystal size, these crystal properties do not only include the crystal orientation fabric, but also the average crystal size and shape, as a function of depth. By adding small empirical corrections to this first-principles model, a quantitatively accurate description of the optical properties of the IceCube glacial ice is obtained. In this paper, we present the experimental signature of ice optical anisotropy observed in IceCube LED calibration data, the theory and parametrization of the birefringence effect, the fitting procedures of these parameterizations to experimental data as well as the inferred crystal properties.

Authors 98

1. Rasha U. Abbasi

   Loyola University Chicago

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA

2. M. Ackermann

   Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

   Affiliation as printed

   DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany

3. Jenni Adams

   University of Canterbury

   Affiliation as printed

   Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand

4. Juanan Aguilar

   Université Libre de Bruxelles

   Affiliation as printed

   Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

5. M. Ahlers

   University of Copenhagen

   Affiliation as printed

   Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

6. Maryon Ahrens

   Stockholm University

   Affiliation as printed

   Oskar Klein Centre and Dept. of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

7. Jean-Marco Alameddine

   TU Dortmund University

   Affiliation as printed

   Dept. of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany

8. Antonio Augusto Alves Junior

   Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

9. Najia Moureen Binte Amin

   University of Delaware

   Affiliation as printed

   Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

10. K. Andeen

    Marquette University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA

11. Tyler B. Anderson

    Pennsylvania State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

    Dept. of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

12. G. Anton

    Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

    Affiliation as printed

    Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

13. Argüelles, Carlos

    Harvard University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

14. Yosuke Ashida

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

15. Sofia Athanasiadou

    Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

    Affiliation as printed

    DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany

16. Spencer Axani

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

17. X. Bai

    South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA

18. Aswathi Balagopal V

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

19. Moreno Baricevic

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

20. S. W. Barwick

    University of California, Irvine

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA

21. Vedant Basu

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

22. Ryan Carlton Bay

    University of California, Berkeley

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

23. J. J. Beatty

    The Ohio State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

    Dept. of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

24. Karl Heinz Becker

    University of Wuppertal

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany

25. Julia Becker Tjus

    Ruhr University Bochum

    Affiliation as printed

    Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany

26. Jakob Beise

    Uppsala University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden

27. Chiara Bellenghi

    Technical University of Munich

    Affiliation as printed

    Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany

28. S. Benda

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

29. S. BenZvi

    University of Rochester

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA

30. David Berley

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

31. E. Bernardini

    University of Padua

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Galileo Galilei, Università Degli Studi di Padova, 35122 Padova PD, Italy

32. D. Besson

    University of Kansas

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA

33. G. Binder

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · University of California, Berkeley

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

34. D. Bindig

    University of Wuppertal

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany

35. E. Blaufuss

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

36. Summer Blot

    Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

    Affiliation as printed

    DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany

37. Federico Bontempo

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

38. Julia Book

    Harvard University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

39. Borowka, Jürgen Aachen III. Physikalisches Institut

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany

40. Caterina Boscolo Meneguolo

    University of Padua

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Galileo Galilei, Università Degli Studi di Padova, 35122 Padova PD, Italy

41. Böser, Sebastian
    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany

42. O. Botner

    Uppsala University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden

43. Böttcher, Jakob Aachen III. Physikalisches Institut

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany

44. Etienne Bourbeau

    University of Copenhagen

    Affiliation as printed

    Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

45. Jim Braun

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

46. Bennett Brinson

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

47. Jannes Brostean-Kaiser

    Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

    Affiliation as printed

    DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany

48. Ryan T. Burley

    The University of Adelaide

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia

49. Raffaela Busse

    University of Münster

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany

50. Michael Campana

    Drexel University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

51. Erin Carnie-Bronca

    The University of Adelaide

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia

52. Chujie Chen

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

53. Zheyang Chen

    Stony Brook University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA

54. D. Chirkin

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

55. Koun Choi

    Sungkyunkwan University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea

56. Brian A. Clark

    Michigan State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

57. Lew Classen

    University of Münster

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany

58. Alan Coleman

    University of Delaware

    Affiliation as printed

    Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

59. Gabriel Collin

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

60. Amy L. Connolly

    The Ohio State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

    Dept. of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

61. Janet M. Conrad

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

62. Paul Coppin

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

63. Pablo Correa

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

64. S. T. Countryman

    Columbia University

    Affiliation as printed

    Columbia Astrophysics and Nevis Laboratories, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA

65. Cowen, Doug

    Pennsylvania State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

    Dept. of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

66. Robert M. Cross

    University of Rochester

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA

67. Christian Dappen Aachen III. Physikalisches Institut

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany

68. Pranav Dave

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

69. Catherine DE CLERCQ

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

70. James DeLaunay

    University of Alabama

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA

71. Delgado López, Diyaselis

    Harvard University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

72. H.-P. Dembinski

    University of Delaware

    Affiliation as printed

    Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

73. Kunal Deoskar

    Stockholm University

    Affiliation as printed

    Oskar Klein Centre and Dept. of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

74. Abhishek Desai

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

75. P. Desiati

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

76. Krijn D. de Vries

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

77. G. de Wasseige

    UCLouvain · KU Leuven

    Affiliation as printed

    Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology - CP3, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

78. T. DeYoung

    Michigan State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

79. Díaz-Vélez, Juan Carlos

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

80. Markus Dittmer

    University of Münster

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany

81. Hrvoje Dujmović

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

82. M. A. DuVernois

    University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

83. Thomas Ehrhardt
    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany

84. P. Eller

    Technical University of Munich

    Affiliation as printed

    Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany

85. Robert Engel

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

86. Hannah Erpenbeck Aachen III. Physikalisches Institut

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany

87. John Evans

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

88. Paul A. Evenson

    University of Delaware

    Affiliation as printed

    Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

89. Kwok Lung Fan

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

90. Ali R. Fazely

    Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA

91. Anatoli Fedynitch

    Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica · Academia Sinica

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan

92. Nora Feigl

    Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany

93. Sebastian Fiedlschuster

    Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

    Affiliation as printed

    Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

94. Aaron T. Fienberg

    Pennsylvania State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

95. Chad Finley

    Stockholm University

    Affiliation as printed

    Oskar Klein Centre and Dept. of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

96. Leander Fischer

    Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

    Affiliation as printed

    DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany

97. D. B. Fox

    Pennsylvania State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

98. A. Franckowiak

    Ruhr University Bochum

    Affiliation as printed

    Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany